[5][6] It is distinguished mainly by its greenish-grey back, its prominent grey head crest, rufous-coloured breast, white abdomen and bright turquoise and blue patches of bare skin around the eyes.

Furthermore, this bird's third toe is reversible, which helps it have a strong grip when hopping around high branches in the canopy.

Although they are common birds in their range, they can be hard to see in the wild since their greenish-gray coloration tends to blend with shadows and act as camouflage.

[11] Young chicks are altricial, which means they are naked at birth and need full parental attention for their early development.

[12] During that time, they have unique red and white "bullseyes" inside their mouth, supposedly used to indicate to their parents where to put the food.

[15] Despite being capable of flight, crested couas are weak flyers, so they are rather observed restlessly bouncing between branches in the canopy.

Keeping balance with their long tail and grasping branches with their reversible toe, they are able to move quickly and be agile.

[12] Unlike some other species of cuckoos, these birds do not take part in brood parasitism, but rather, both male and female co-parent the chicks.

[21] The chicks are born altricial with both parents equally helping in raising the young until they are about two weeks old, when they leave the nest.

Couas have low fecundity, but they have a high adult longevity (up to 15 years in captivity), which is why they can afford to have a smaller brood size.